First of all, I’d like to thank you for your comments on my previous post. I feel pretty humbled by how many of you (almost) told me to get over myself! No, I know, none of you actually said that, you were all much too kind and tactful (and I thank you for that!). But, after reading your comments, I got the (luckily as yet unfrogged) cardigan out again and had a good look at it and, you know what? You were right. It really isn’t that bad at all. I will keep it as it is for now, and may well go back and finish it after the current version is done.
Today’s post is a salutary lesson about READING THE PATTERN!
I have been happily knitting away on my Hedera socks when I am on the train, and almost finished the first sock. As I’m sure many of you know, it is a lovely pattern to work on, not too complicated, yet not too boring. And I am loving the Sundara yarn that I’m using.
However, I made a mistake. I thought I could ignore it and that it wouldn’t bother me. I spotted the mistake quite early on, but tried to convince myself that I wouldn’t mind about it. Honestly, who was I trying to kid? It’s not like I am known for my uber-relaxed attitude to, well, anything really, so I’m not sure why this would be an exception…
And the mistake? Well, after knitting the heel, the pattern requires you to pick up 25 stitches on each side to form the gusset. You knit the first row after that into the back of the stitch, to avoid making holes. After that, each row is supposed to be knit normally.
Instead, I continued to knit every other row with the stitches twisted. I did actually like it, so decided to keep going with it for a while. The stitch pattern turned out to look really pretty with the variegated yarn. But when I got to the end of the gusset decreases, I didn’t like how the stocking stitch and the twisted stitch parts joined together.
I know that this will not show when I’m wearing them but, for me, that isn’t really the point. I don’t just knit things to wear, I like taking the time to do and redo if necessary, and to get things just how I want them. This is really the one area of my life where I allow my perfectionist tendencies full rein, and doing so makes me happy.
So, on the second sock, I knit the sock as specified in the pattern:
I thought it was nice enough to frog the first sock and re-knit it. So I am.
Oh I liked the wrong version! I might have to try that on purpose
That’s the pattern where I learned the “knit through the back loop” method for twisting those gusset stitches closed. It’s a nice trick, and even looks pretty cool as a texture stitch!
they are really great (do prefer the second version better too)
Both are really pretty. The second version is far nicer though. Your socks are going to be stunning!
But it will be in your shoes! Either way is pretty…
Oh I hate when that happens, my biggest problem are the words “and at the same time.” I’m glad you didn’t give up on the sweater, sometimes we are our own worst critics.
i liked the ‘wrong’ version too. I had never seen it done before and thought, oh! How nice is that?
You are one serious perfectionist Anna! Lily thinks you’re quite bonkers about your stocking stitch too! 😀
There must be something magical about the combination of Hedera + train. Because I’m almost to the toe of Sock #2, and pulled it out to compare with the first one…only then did I realize that one sock has a slipped-stitch heel, the other has an eye-of-partridge. D’oh!
So frustrating isn’t it when it’s a mistake that you could have avoided? I think it looks great either way.
but you will never see it!
I love the alternate version – no way would I frog it!! You are funny! But I also happily wear matching but not handknit socks, so maybe that’s just me!!
I used to try and reign in my perfectionist tendancies with knitting, but it doesn’t work so I know what you mean! They are very nice socks too.
I sort of like the wrong version – but I probably would have done the second sock the same way! But – you have to be happy with what you knit, so I can understand frogging it. Hope you finish them soon – it really is a pretty sock.